


OUTRO

by sopesinmysalad (infidelrequiem)



Series: Markbum Drabbles [2]
Category: GOT7
Genre: Angst, Fencer Jackson Wang, Jackson is a Good Friend, M/M, Mark Tuan-centric, Musician Im Jaebum | JB, Open to Interpretation, Sad, Sad Mark Tuan, basketball player! im jaebum, basketball player! mark tuan, but it is what it is now, go listen to def on soundcloud, i listened to defsoul while writing this, jaebum and jackson rivals??, jinyoung is the moderator, someone give jaebum a hug too, someone give mark a hug, this wasn't supposed to become angsty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:34:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24946948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/infidelrequiem/pseuds/sopesinmysalad
Summary: The beginning and the end of how one Lim Jaebeom and one Mark Tuan came together, crashed , then slowly receded back to their own oceans, wrecked.
Relationships: Im Jaebum | JB/Mark Tuan
Series: Markbum Drabbles [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1766584
Comments: 6
Kudos: 24





	OUTRO

**Author's Note:**

> It somehow became sad af ok, i'm sorry. I am hurting for them as well.

For as long as he remembered, Mark had always heard his roommate sing in the evenings. His soft voice, muffled by the door barring it as he stayed cooped up inside his room so as to not disturb him. Not that Mark minded, but his roommate was always too shy to let Mark listen to his "amateur attempts". Sometimes with a guitar, sometimes with an old keyboard, before he started to produce. He started with basic stuff, playing around on his laptop, trying to get the hang of things. Then he got better, started a SoundCloud. Mark never told him, but he would often spend nights when he couldn't fall asleep, the weight of his problems too much to bear, earphones plugged in to his roommate's voice crooning softly in his ears, enveloping him. His roommate's voice was familiar. His roommate's voice was comforting. He had told Mark that one day he would perform, and that day he would let Mark watch him, listen to him, live, attention unwavering. That night, as Mark sat by his window, the night's cool breeze blowing in through the mesh and the drizzle, his fingers searched for the same name on the app and he pressed 'play', letting the voice which he once heard every day but now only gets to through his phone, flood his lonely apartment.

Mark had met Jaebeom the first year of high-school. His best friend had gotten into an argument with him and both Jackson and Jaebeom had to stay after hours in detention as it had escalated into a fight. Mark had winced at his friend's split lip and decided to go hand him an ice pack. Even if Jackson refused to admit that he needed it. He had picked one up from the nurse's office, then, upon second thought, decided to take another one for the other boy. He wanted to try placate things between the two. He didn't want a rivalry to spark, that would only make days more tiring than they already were.

"Markie-pooh! What are you doing here?! You should go home!" Jackson had let out, earning a glare from the teacher in charge of overseeing their detention. Mark threw an apologetic smile in her direction, she _had_ let him in.

"Ice your mouth. I know it hurts." He said as he handed his friend one of the two ice packs.

"It doesn't hu-" Jackson began but soon quietened when Mark looked at him with a deadpan. As Jackson gingerly held the ice pack to the corner of his mouth, Mark nervously flitted his eyes towards the other boy sitting at a desk two rows behind Jackson. The hints of hair growing out from a previous undercut, his long hair covering his eyes... he sat, slumped forward, chin resting on his folded arms over the desk. Mark exhaled before walking up to him.

"Here. For your forehead." Mark heard an indignant quack behind him , followed by a " _Wang_ , sit down! You are in _detention_!"

The boy looked at him through the fringe, eyes slightly widening, curious and something else Mark couldn't quite place. He unfolded his arms and slowly sat up. Eyeing Mark's extended hand holding on to the mini ice pack, he seemed to hesitate. A second later he took the pack from him with a low "Thank you" muttered into the upturned collar of his school uniform. Mark felt his cheeks grow a little warm. _Oh_.

He had apparently lingered a moment too long as all three pairs of eyes in the room were staring at him, intently. Mark looked around, flustered, as he stuttered out a "I-I'll be leaving then" before walking towards the door of the class, throwing in a "Thank you for letting me in" to the teacher who only nodded in return. From the corner of his vision, Mark could see the boy's eyes follow him, and unbeknownst to them, Jackson was looking at them too, with a strange expression on his face.

_Lim Jaebeom_

That was what the boy's name tag had read. Mark was going to be hearing that name more often after that day.

Mark had kissed Jaebeom the last year of highschool , after their graduation, in the dimly lit corridor behind the auditorium where the ceremony was being held. Jaebeom and Jackson had soon become friends , their other friend Jinyoung acting as a buffer leading to the two giving up on their unnecessary egos. It had been nice, high school had been nice. The four of them would hang out during lunch breaks, play basketball, stay over at each other's houses over weekends playing videogames. They would attend Jinyoung's violin recitals, cheer at Jackson's fencing matches, root for Mark and Jaebeom during their basketball tournaments. That was one of the first things, before even Jinyoung, that had led to Mark getting close to Jaebeom. Tiring practices, trips to other schools for tournaments, wins, losses, the highs and lows of being on a sports team. They had begun to help each other out, correcting each other's forms after practice had long concluded. Shooting " _just a few_ _more_ " hoops before ending sprawled at the corner of the gym, backs to the wall, side by side, tired and panting. There was always an air of intensity between them, especially when they were alone, their quiet conversations ending up more in them just staring at each other, before one of them plopped their head on the other's shoulder. Jaebeom's warmth was familiar. Jaebeom's warmth was comforting.

As Jaebeom had looked at him, on the day of their graduation, eyes unrelenting in the dim corridor lights, Mark seemed to fall even harder. Jaebeom's face had then broken into a small smile , "That's it?" before he leaned in again, kissing Mark softly then pressing in closer, harder, hands pulling at his waist, both of their hearts beating faster as they kissed for far longer than their breaths could take. Breaking away, they laughed, proceeding to embrace each other tightly.

"Congratulations, Beommie."

Mark had first fought with Jaebeom when Jackson found out that they planned on moving in together. Their friends had figured something was going on between the two, but in the short period between the end of high school and beginning of college, Jackson hadn't expected things to escalate so fast. He was worried about Mark, he always was, they were childhood friends for fuck's sake, how could he not worry? Jaebeom had gotten angry at Jackson, saying that it wasn't his place to have an opinion on it and that he shouldn't meddle with Mark's decisions, to which Mark had been shocked before getting angry along with his friend. Jackson and him were practically like brothers! He worried about Jackson just as much , if not more! They had been attached at the hip since birth, their parents being best friends since kids themselves. How could Jaebeom say that to Jackson? Who he _knew_ meant a lot to him?

Jaebeom had later apologised. Both to Jackson and Mark. He had been worried, it seemed. About what, Mark didn't know, as Jaebeom decided to have _that_ talk with _Jackson_ instead. Mark was surprised to find that Jackson had gotten over his objection the next day, smiling as he playfully hit Jaebeom on his back, as they met up with Jinyoung at his house for a day of lazing and watching movies. Mark had been very curious, but he had decided to let it go. Instead, choosing to smile as Jaebeom huffed in his bean bag, having just lost to Jackson in a game of arm-wrestling, who was now skipping over to Mark going " _I'm still number one, Markie-pooh_..."

Mark didn't know who he'd put at 'number one' but he sure knew none of them could occupy the other's place. Ever.

Mark first realised just the extent to which his liking, no, his _love,_ ran for Jaebeom on a random day in September. It was a lazy Sunday afternoon, their exams having just gotten over. Mark and Jaebeom had gotten into the same university, along with some of Jackson's other friends, Kihyun and Yoongi, from their school. Now in their second year of college, they had gotten used to each other's routine living together. They had gotten used to each other. As Mark lay over Jaebeom, looking at his pleasure stricken face, as they both panted from the exertion, Mark noticed how the soft sunlight coming in through the shutters cast alternate bands of light over Jaebeom's face, his arms, his chest. Mark stopped in his motions as he bent to kiss the middle of Jaebeom's chest, before nuzzling into it.

"I love you," he had simply stated. He looked up, chin still resting on Jaebeom's chest, one of his hands still locked with the beautiful boy's beneath him. Jaebeom looked dazed, trying to focus through his haze, when Mark's words registered, "Wh-what?"

"I love you. I am in love with you. I love you so much, Beommie," Mark smiled as Jaebeom tightened their entwined fingers before pulling Mark up with his other arm, bringing his hand up to cup his face, whispering, "I am in love with you too. I have been ever since the first time you called my name."

For as long as he remembered, Mark had always slept in Jaebeom's arms. On their long rides on the bus during inter-school matches to the nights spent as lovers together in their shared apartment throughout their college years. As Mark now lay in the same bed where Jaebeom used to, sheets cold even through the warmth they had to have had from Mark laying over them for so long, his heart ached. Jaebeom was going to perform that night. He was probably getting ready for the show at this very moment. Mark wanted nothing more than to run to him, to the other side of the city, go backstage, hug him, kiss him, wish him luck...but he couldn't. Jaebeom wasn't his Beommie anymore. His roommate hadn't spoken to him ever since he moved out, hadn't invited him to his show. Jinyoung had tried to convince Mark to come , Jaebeom wasn't the only one performing. Their friends ,Kihyun and Yoongi, who he had gotten close to in college, were also performing for the first time. Mark had tried convincing his heart but he had soon realised as he had stood in front of his apartment door, dressed, but unable to turn the doorknob, that his heart wouldn't be able to handle it. He couldn't watch the boy he had loved so fiercely, the boy who pulled at his heartstrings every day, he couldn't watch him, _hear_ him, look at his face display all those emotions from the newer songs he had posted on his account. The pain, the anger, the heartbreak. Mark wouldn't be able to take it and so he had decided to not go.

His thighs would probably soon get uncomfortable in the jeans he was still wearing but Mark couldn't bring himself to care. He heard the lock of his apartment door turn and Mark hated how his heart sped up, him sitting up abruptly, still hoping, still yearning, despite the hurt, for the same familiar voice to call out "I'm home!". For the same comforting voice to call out "I've brought dinner!" No, Mark wasn't greeted with that. Instead , he saw his best friend gingerly peek his head into the room, a soft whisper of "Markie?" in the darkness. Mark felt his heart swell up, sadness but also relief, a bittersweet happiness because it was okay. Jackson was here. _It would be okay_.

He wanted to open his mouth to thank him for coming over, wanted to tell him how much he appreciated him, wanted to tell him how much he loved his friend, but all that came out was a loud sob as Mark broke down. Jackson rushed to his friend, sitting down next to him, enveloping him in a hug.

"It's okay Markie-pooh, it will be okay. Just let it out. I'm here. It's okay." He rubbed circles into Mark's back as Mark clung onto him. Loud and hard sobs wracked his body. He was happy to see Jackson, he really was, but his heart just hurt _so_ much. He hadn't let himself feel the extent of his pain all this while and it seemed to all explode in that moment. Realisation had finally set in. _Jaebeom was no longer there_. He was no longer in his life. He was just an ex roommate. He was just...a familiar pain...a memory that wasn't comforting at all anymore.

**Author's Note:**

> Please do not repost !  
> Feedback is appreciated !  
> ~ <3


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